Alumni, Industry Representative Share Working-World Knowledge
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Four Pennsylvania College of Technology graduates all of them working in their chosen fields and an in-the-know industry representative visited the Schneebeli Earth Science Center on Tuesdayto relate "If I Knew Then What I Know Now ..."
The program, organized by Misty D. Kennard-Mayer, coordinator of matriculation and retention for the college's School of Natural Resources Management, comprised the semester's final session of the Student Success Program.
The noncredit SSP is designed to improve academic performance, develop employment skills and enhance leadership potential, and is required for Caterpillar-sponsored and electric power generation technology students at the Earth Science Center.
Returning to the Allenwood-area campus were Andrew S. Kear (1997) and Andrea L. Gardner (2005), graduates in heavy construction equipment technology and employed by H.L. Wiker Inc.; Matthew R. Smith, a 2005 graduate in electric power generation technology, employed by Alban CAT; and Melissa J. Slingerland, who graduated in 2003 with a degree in floral design/interior plantscape and who is employed by R.D. Slingerland, her family's Williamsport landscaping business.
They were joined on the panel by Mark Wilkinson, a service operations representative with the Harrisburg District office of Caterpillar Inc.
During the informal discussion, the group briefed about 18 students on lessons they've learned in their own transition from college to employment, including conflict and compromise in the workplace, the inherent need for teamwork, the varied personalities of customers and co-workers alike, and the value of internships.
They also addressed the traits of a successful student and the importance of working toward better grades during the relative brevity of the college experience characterized by Wilkinson as "that small window of time to prove yourselves."
For more information about the programs offered by the School of Natural Resources Management, call (570) 320-8038, send e-mail or visit online.